Signs of Spring II

Spring must be near since Dave has baseball practice and the hyacinth is opening. Dave joined a Chattanooga team again this year and is once again the way oldest guy on the roster. Most of the team are in their late 20's and he is a big 56. Nevertheless last summer he got Player of the Week, the game ball, most RBI's and was the winning pitcher, and all this with advanced Parkinson's. Of course he is still waiting to hear from the Chicago Cubs...ha!


Things are starting to tempt me in the garden, but it is also a story of hope and defeat. I was so excited to see a healthy thick clump of poppy leaves, but then a few days later there was a big hole in the ground where they had been growing. Grrr. Voles. On the other hand, the lilac bush I planted last year has flower buds on it!! And there are more at Wal-Mart's garden center which also look as enthusiastic. Luckily we had plenty of below freezing days this winter (what am I saying???) so they were prepped to bloom as though they lived up north. Half of our newly planted redbuds have buds and the other half are dead. Pooh. Still, there are lots more where they came from (cheaply) and can be easily replaced. I say easily because I just point and someone else puts them in.
We had our second meeting of the Modern Quilt Guild-Chattanooga on Saturday and my sister Brooke came with me. See the show and tell slide show here.  Six new quilters showed up and five from the first meeting were not in attendance, still it was a thrill to see the enthusiasm for this new guild.  While we are still a small group we are keeping the meetings to just show and tell and since we are at a quilt shop, a little shopping afterwards and then LUNCH. There is a Panera! So you who have been with me since early days will understand that eating at Panera is an important element in the fun.
Brooke and I met Mary Keasler for lunch and while they both had headcolds, it was still great. Afterwards I had to stop at the Wal-Mart next door in search of a specific paint for touch ups in our house and lo and behold the store has a HUGE fabric department. Most of the TN Wal-marts have discontinued theirs. What makes me excited is that the James Thompson DYEABLE cotton is available there. Woowoo! I just checked Dharma's website and my fave Economy Muslin is on back order as is the Mercerized Print Cloth, so finding this cotton right next door in GA is a boon. I will be returning this Wednesday to buy a bolt, and dye up some gradations...since I don't have ANY.

Which brings me to the dilemma I am now facing, AGAIN. What shall I make? Between last's month's guild meeting and this one I made two nap quilt tops, one crib quilt, finished a big art quilt, numerous pillows and quilted my bed quilt. I'm sorta dry now. There are quilts I have on my list but the enthusiasm for them is missing.
 I almost made this pillow (from Erica's Essential Suchness) but then I didn't.
Isn't it cute and doesn't it go with my Pink Spidey? But another pillow?